Auckland’s Climate

The climate is comfortable all year round except in the summer months when a combination of heat and humidity can lead to some rather sticky days and nights.

Frosts in winter are very rare.

Similar Latitude Cities

Auckland sits on a latitude of 36.5 degrees South. Cities on similar latitudes in the Northern hemisphere include Malaga, Spain and Monterey, California. Auckland is cooler in summer than these northern hemisphere cities because of the moderating effects of the surrounding Pacific Ocean.

The Sun

The main weather hazard faced by Aucklanders is the strength of the sun – particularly in summer.

In high summer, the sunshine in New Zealand is really strong. You’ll burn more easily in New Zealand than anywhere in the Mediterranean.

There are three reasons why the sun in the Southern Hemisphere is so strong.

There is less ozone to block the UV rays that cause sunburn.

Earth’s orbit takes it closer to the sun during the southern summer than during the northern summer.

There is less pollution in the southern hemisphere to block the UV rays.

The sun’s burning strength is measured by the UV index. The highest possible UV index at sea-level is about 20. This can occur at midday in equatorial regions. Any reading higher than 10 is extreme in terms of skin-damage.

The UV Index in the Mediterranean in high-summer reaches 9 or 10.

The people in Florida are fried on a just a few days each summer when the index reaches 12.

Comments

Auckland City (i think) gets about 3-4 days of frost. But this of course varies geographically, west Auckland experiences colder winter with about 1/2 of overnight winter temperatures below 3 Degrees, accounting for more frosty periods.